96 5hp Gamefisher Surging Under Load

[Morpheus78]

I recently bought a 5hp Gamefisher from a guy on craigslist. The motor ran like a top for the 5 times i brought it out. Started right away....water pump pumping etc. Today I ran into a problem. I went out a little further than I usually do, so the motor was running longer than I normally would run it. What was happening is that after a bit the engine would surge up in RPM like it was off load or out of gear sporadically and I would lose power and propulsion. This was at WOT and it got worse as I went until the engine was just screaming and I wasnt going anywhere. If I lowered the throttle it would grab again and stop surging. After a bit of time at lower throttle I would be able to raise the throttle again and cruise at WOT until it would surge again. Again....it would start off as just a surge here and there and then be totally screaming after a bit and I wouldnt be going anywhere. It almost seems like an overheating issue as the problem gets worse as time goes on at WOT and is not there at a lower throttle. When i got home i put the engine in a bucket of water to see if the water pump was pumping and water was coming out of the hole in the lower unit, so I think thats working. I also know that the shift lever to put the engine into gear is really stiff and takes some effort to move.

I got some advice that it might be a SPUN hub on the prop. Me and my dad put 3 screws in the side of the prop to the hub to stop it from slipping...if thats what was happening. Well....its still doing it. After monitoring the issue I have noticed that it happens pretty much when I go through a bunch of seaweed. If I drive over weed the engine surges and I lose thrust. When I lift the engine I see all the weed fall off the prop and its fine. Is this normal??? I keep hearing about a "spring clutch" in these engines...would this cause this issue?

 

[corm]

Re: 96 5hp Gamefisher Surging Under Load

Hi,

Weeds on the prop will drag the engine rpm's down then some weeds will slip off resulting in a rpm increase or cavitation (prop loosing it's bit in the water) which is pretty normal with any engine and weeds. The only cure is to lift up the engine like you did to get the weeds off. Sometimes you can shift it into reverse to clear the weeds if you have a shifting lower unit.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 96 5hp Gamefisher Surging Under Load

I vote for weeds or other junk on the prop.Usually a spun hub will always slip at about the same power.Slowing the motor will let is work but as soon as it meets the same power it will slip again.